Aeroplane



G. HRIB AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 16, I920- 1 3385,? 86. Patent d July 26, 1921.

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FIG. 1

gwvento'o G. HRIB.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 16, 1920.

Patented July 26, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nw M N W atto'cnug G. HRIB.

AEROPLANE APPLIQATION FILED 05c. 16. 1920.

Patented July 26, 1921. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. amnion aew a Hrxl PAT ENT EQE K GEORGE HRIB, or SIMPSON, wns'r VIRGINIA. V

AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patent d J l 26. 1921 Application filed December 16, 1920. Serial No. 431,291.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE HRIB, a citia zen of Czechoslovakia, residin at Simpson, in the county of Taylor and tate of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification. V

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements'in aeroplanes and has particular reference to an improved means for supporting and driving an auxiliary overhead propeller which may be either located to be serviceable in retarding the descent of the aeroplane or toprovide a secondary or auxiliary propellerfor causing forward movement of the aeroplane.

With this general object 1I1'V16W and others that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts herelnafter more fully described, shown in the ac companying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate correspondlng parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an aeroplane'equipped with pneform of a}1xiliary propeller supporting and drlvmg mechanism constructed in accordance 'with the present invention, g Y

F 1gI'2 is a view of a portion of the device shown in Fig. 1 drawn on 'a largerscale and with the body of'the aeroplane-in longitudinal section to reveal parts within sald body,

Fig. 3 is a rearelevational view of the device shown in Fig. 2 with parts broken away to reveal other'parts,'

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational View of the shaft supporting uprlght and asso ciated parts of the propeller stop operatlng means, I

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectlonal v1ew-taken upon line V-V of Fig. 3,

Fig. 6 is a view substantlally slmilar to the forward portion of Flg. 1 'showlng a modified form ofauxiliary overhead propeller, 1 l

Fig. 7 is an enlarged v1ew partiallyin side elevation and partially broken away of the propeller supportingmeans-of F 1g. '6 wlth a section of the upri ht removed-to reveal shaftsand bearingst erein,

Fig. 8' is a rear elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 7, and

Flg. 9 is a horizontal sectional view taken upon line IXIX of Fig. 8.

Referring more in detail to the several views, the present invention contemplates the provision of improved supporting and drlvin means for an auxiliary overhead propel er articularly serviceable in aeroplanes of t e type shown in Fig. 1 wherein the numeral 5 is used to generally'indicate the body or fuselage of the aeroplane, said body being provided with the usual empennage 6, wings 7 and supporting wheels 8. A suitable structure 9 is usually prov1de d in the forward end of the body 5 for receiving an engine 10 whose drive shaft 11 projects forwardly of the body and has a main propeller 12 secured thereon for causing forward movement of the aeroplane.

The present invention contemplates the provision of an extension 13 projecting rearwardly from the crank case 14 of the engine 10 and inclosing a rearwardly projecting portion of the drive shaft 11 which may be formed in two sections adapted to be coupled and uncoupled by any desired form of clutch shown at 15 by dotted lines in Fig. 2

and h'avingan operating handle 16.

The rear section of the rearwardly proecting'portion, of the engine drive shaft 11 is shown'at 17 in transverse section in Fig. 3, and it has a worm gear '18 secured thereon meshing with a worm 19 fixed upon the lower end of a vertical shaft 20 journaled within an upright 21. This upright is preferably formed of a pair of longitudinal half section'clamped together by means of angle clamps 22 and having mating recesses forming a longitudinal bore within the upright through which the shaft 20 extends and also forming at intervals, in large pockets for reception of collars 23 provided on the shaft 20. The collars 23 are fixed onsaid shaft and suitable ball bearings 24c are disposed between theupper wall of each pocket and the upper end of each'collar 23 for providing an ,upward end thrust bearing with minimum friction. The upright 2l-may be provided with feet 25 bolted or otherwise secured tothe 'floor' of'the body '5, and a packing 26 is preferably'arranged between the meeting faces. of the sections of'this e at a suitable elevation. Obviously, when the clutch 15 is thrown in, the propeller 27 will be rotated in the proper direction to exert a desired lifting force upon the aeroplane for assisting, in launching or landing of the same, which action of said propeller 27 may be controlled to the desired degree by the speed of the. engine. r

Means is'provided to hold the propeller 27 against rotationz'when the aeroplane is in flight with the clutch 15 disconnected so that the wind will not rotate said propeller and parts geared thereto and with the blades of the propeller positioned submantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the aeroplane. This means preferably consists ina vertically movablerod 28 slidably mounted in guides 29 rigid with theupright 21 and provided with a yoke 30 upon its u per end arrangedtoembrace the rear bla e of thepropeller 27 when in raised position as shown in Fi 3. The lower end of the rod 28 is forme with a rack31, and a gear 32 meshes-with this rack and is rotatably supported by :1. depending bracket 33 on the lower guide 29. A crankhandle 34 is provided upon gear 32 for rotating the latter whereby the rod 28 maybe raised and lowered, and a'suitable stop member 35isarranged to be dropped between adj acent' teeth of the gear 32 for holding the gear against rotation and thereby preventing lowering of the rod 28 when it is disposed with the yoke 30 embracing the rear wi of the propeller 27. By rotating crank andle 34 in one direction the rod 28 will be raised to hold the propeller against rotation, and when the stop member 35 is released from gear 32, the rod-20' will lower b its own weight and releasethe propeller Referring-to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive, th'e'usual fuselage or body 5 is shown with supporting wheels 8-, wings 7 and a motor 10 hav ing its drive shaft 11' pro ected forwardly of the body 5' with a main propeller12' secured thereon. In this form of the inven' tion the gear case extension 18' ofthe engine 10 cdmlectswith an inverted substantially L-shaped upright 36 having its upper and shorter arm projecting forwardly and pro- -.vided with feet 25 7 upon its lowerend" belted'or otherwise secured to the floor of central bore for accommodating a vertical shaft 38 within the longer portion of the upright and a horizontal forwardly extending shaft 39 within the shorter portion of said. upright; iTheoadjacent ends of the shafts 38 and 39 are intergeared by bevel gears 40 or the like-so that rotation is imparted from one to the other, and the forwardend of. the shaft 39. has a propeller 41 fixed thereon in vertical position so as to as sist the main propeller 12 in propelling the aeroplane forwardly. The longitudinal bore of the upright 36 is enlarged at intervals to form pockets for reception of the collars 23 upon the-shafts 38 and 39, and suitable anti-friction members 24 are disposed between the opposite. end walls of these pockets and the ends of the collars 23" to anti-frictionally take up end thrusts in both directions; In this formv of the invention a worm- 19 is provided upon the lower end of the'shaft 38 andit meshes with a worm gear 18 fixed upon the rear end of the engine drive shaft-11'. It will of course be understood that, as is usual in this art, any transmission gearing or additional clutches that are found desirable for the. driving and: controlling of the propellers may be added or em loyed, but as they do not form any part 0 the present invention, they'are not shown or described.

7 It is believed that the construction and: operation as well as the advantages of the present. invention will be readily understood and appreciated from the foregoing description.

Minor changes may bemade without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as claimed. I

' What is claimed as new is 2-- .1 1. In combination with an aeroplane having'afuselage with a main propeller actuating motor at the forward end thereof, said motor being provided with a rearwardly projecting drive shaft, a dust-proof upright second named shaft, means operable by a person within the fuselage to disconnect the second named shaft from the-drive shaft, and means operable by the person within the fuselage to releasably maintain the overhead propeller against rotation when said second namedshaft is disconnected from the drive shaft, said last named means including a vertically'slidable rod having a yoke upon its upper end arranged to embrace the rear wing of the propeller when said rod is raised.

2. In combination with an aeroplane having a fuselage with a main propeller actuating motor at the forwardend thereof, said motor being vprovided with a rearwardly projecting drive shaft, a dust-proof upright rigidly mounted at the rear end of said shaft, a vertical shaft journaled within said upright and rotatably geared to the'first named shaft, an overheadauxiliary propeller operatively connected to the upper end of said second named shaft, means operable by a person within the fuselage to disconnect the second named shaft from the drive shaft, means operable by the person within the fuselage to releasably maintain the overhead propeller against rotation when said second named shaft is disconnected from the drive shaft, said last named means including'a Y vertically slidable rod having a yoke upon its upper end arranged to embrace the rear wing of the propeller when said rod is raised, and hand operated means arranged adjacent and operatively connected to the lower end of said rod for vertically moving the latter. I

3. In combination with an aeroplane having a fuselage with a main propeller actuating motor at the forward end thereof, said motor being provided with a rearwardly projecting drive shaft, a dust-proof upright rigidly mounted at the rear end of said shaft, a vertical shaft journaled within said upright and rotatably geared to the first .named shaft, an overhead auxiliary propeller operatively connected to the upper end of said second'named shaft, means operable by a person within the fuselage to disconnect the second named shaft from the drive shaft, means operable by the person within the fuselage to releasably maintain the overhead propeller against rotation when said second named shaft is disconnected from the drive shaft, said last named means including a vertically slidable rod having a yoke upon its upper end arranged to embrace the rear wing of the propeller when said rod is raised, hand operated means arranged adjacent and operatively connected to the lower end of said rod for vertically moving the latter, said hand operated means including a rotatable gear, and a stop member operable to engage the teeth of said gear whereby the rod is held in raised position with the yoke embracing said propeller blade.

4. In combination with an aeroplane hav ing a fuselage with a main propeller actuating motor at the forward end thereof,said motor being provided with a rearwardly projecting drive shaft, a dust-proof upright rigidly mounted at the rear end of said shaft, a vertical. shaft journaled within said upright and rotatably geared to the first named shaft,'an overhead auxiliary propeller operatively connected to the upper end of said second named shaft, said upright comprising a member formed of longitudinal half sections, a packing disposed between the meeting faces of said half sections, and means to clamp said half sections together.

5. In combination with an aeroplane having a fuselage with a main propeller actuating motor at the forward end thereof, said motor being provided with a rearwardly projecting drive shaft, a dust-proof upright rigidly mounted at the rear end of said shaft, a vertical shaft journaled within said 'up right and rotatably geared to the first named shaft, an overhead auxiliary propeller operatively connected to the upper end of said second named shaft, said upright comprising a member formed of longitudinal half sections, a packing disposed between the meeting faces of said half sections, means to clamp said half sections together, said vertical shaft being provided with collars, said half section being recessed to provide pockets within which said collars are arranged, and thrust bearings arranged between the bearings and the walls of the recesses for anti-frictionally taking up thrusts upon said vertical shaft.

6. In combination with an aeroplane having a fuselage with a main propeller actuating motor at the forward end thereof, said motor being provided with a rearwardly projecting drive shaft, a dust-proof upright rigidly mounted at the rear end of said shaft, a vertical shaft journaled within said upright and rotatably geared to the first named shaft, an overhead auxiliary propeller operatively connected to the upper end of said second named shaft, a gear case extension upon the gear case of the motor inclosing the rearwardly projecting portion of the drive shaft, operative connection between the drive shaft and the vertical shaft including intermeshing gears, said upright being chambered for reception of said gears, and said gear case extension forming a closure for said chamber.

7. In combination with an aeroplane having a fuselagewith a main propeller actuating motor at'the forward end thereof, said motor being provided with a rearwardly projecting drive shaft. a dust-proof upright rigidly mounted at the rear end of said shaft, a vertical shaft journaled within said upright and rotatably geared to the first named shaft, an overhead auxiliary propeller operatively connected to the upper end of said second named shaft, a gear case extension upon the gear case of the motor inclosing the rearwardly projecting portion of the drive shaft, operative connection between the drive shaft and the vertical shaft including intermeshing gears, said upright 7 being chambered for reception of said gears,

and said gear case extension forming a closure for said chamber, said gear case extension being associated with said upright for bracing the same in vertical position.

8. In combination with an aeroplane having a fuselage with a main propeller actuat ing motor at the forward end thereof, said motor being provided with a rearwardly projecting drive shaft, a dust-proof upright rigidly mounted at the rear end of said shaft, a vertical shaft journaled within said upright and rotatably geared to the first named shaft, an overhead auxiliary propeller operatively connected to the upper end of said second named shaft, said upright being of substantially inverted L-shaped form in elevation and projecting forwardly, and a third horizontally disposed. shaft journaled within the upper shorter arm of'said upright and operatively geared at its rear end to the upper end of said vertical shaft, the over,

head propeller being mounted upon the forward end of said third shaft.

9. In combination with an aeroplane havf ing a fuselage with a mainpropeller actuati'ng motor at the forward end thereof, said motor bein provided with a rearwardly projecting drive shaft, a dust-proof uprlght rigidly mounted at the rear end of said'shaft, a vertical shaft journaled within said upright and rotatably geared to the first named shaft, an overhead auxiliary propeller operatively connected to the upper end of said second named shaft, saidupright being of substantially inverted L-shaped form in elevation and projecting forwardly, a third horizontally disposed shaft journaled within the upper shorter arm of said upright and operativel geared at its rear end to the upper end of said vertical shaft, the overhead propeller being mounted upon the forward end of said third shaft, and thrust bearings for the third shaft including collars upon the latter and anti-friction members dlsposed between said collars and adja cent portions of the upright.

In testimony'whereof I afiix my signature.

GEORGE. HRIB. 

